Dubai. The new flagship of BMW M Motorsport has passed desert endurance tests. The Friday-Saturday 24 Hours of Dubai (UAE) is the first race for the all-new BMW M4 GT3 in the hands of the BMW M Racing Team, following last season’s test race and successful FIA homologation. ST Racing and Schubert Motorsport will field a total of three BMW M4 GT3s for the season opener of the 24H series. After 24 hours of multiple Code 60 races and a sandstorm Saturday morning, all three cars made their debut at the finish line.
With a BMW M4 GT3 starting number 28, ST Racing is ninth in the top GT3 class. The car was driven by Jon Miller (USA), Nick Wittmer (Canada), Louis-Philippe Montour (Canada) and Chandler Hull (USA). Schubert Motorsport suffered a setback early in the race when the #30 BMW M4 GT3 was damaged after coming into contact with another competitor. Subsequent long-term maintenance left the 30th far behind. After 24 hours, BMW M factory drivers Nick Yelloly (GBR), Jordan Witt (GBR), Marcel Lenerz (GER) and Jens Liebhauser (GER) crossed the finish line. The tenth grid position of the GT3 class.
The first place in the Pro-Am class from ST Racing is the BMW M4 GT3 which has long been the top performer in the segment and aims to be on the podium in its class. While repairs were possible, technical issues subsequently damaged the car’s location. The No. 1 car was driven by Samantha Tan (Canada), Bryson Morris, Anthony Lazzaro, Harry Gottsacker and Tyler Maxson (US) and finished fifth in the Pro-Am class.
The next highlight of the BMW M4 GT3 is planned for North America in two weeks. In the season opener of the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship (IMSA Series), the legendary 24 Hours of Daytona (USA), BMW M Team RLL and Turner Motorsport will compete with the new GT cars. The BMW M Motorsport Team also raced in Dubai with the BMW M4 GT4 and BMW M2 CS Racing. They have multiple podiums in their respective categories. Century’s RHC Jorgensen-Strom finished third in the GT4 class with the #450 BMW M4 GT4. Century Motorsport’s No. 429 and AVIA Sorg Rennsport’s No. 451 followed in fourth and fifth place. In the TCX class, Cogemo/TLRT finished second with the #255 BMW M2 CS Racing, while Yeeti Racing finished third with the #208 BMW M2 CS Racing. Schubert Motorsport finished sixth in the class in the #200 BMW M2 CS Racing.
Reactions to the 24H Dubai.
Achim Klein, BMW M Motorsport Project Lead BMW M4 GT3: “Those days were exciting for us in Dubai. The first official race of a new car is always special, and even if the final result was not what we expected due to the turbulent events during the race, we could conclude Positive conclusion. Two of the three BMW M4 GT3s entered were shipped directly from the production workshop to Dubai, where they were welcomed by the BMW M Motorsport team. We also gained a lot of valuable insights in Dubai that will help us Continued hard work in the new car’s inaugural season. ST Racing and Schubert Motorsport provided a decisive impetus for this. Now we look forward to the next highlight of the new BMW M4 GT3, the 24 Hours of Daytona in two weeks’ time race.”
Kenneth Tan, ST Racing Team Principal: “The BMW M4 GT3 has very high competitive potential. We saw it in the early stages of the race. We were in the top 5 for a long time and always in the top 10 in the first half of the race, so we knew the BMW M4 GT3 has potential. Our car is obviously not there right now. We just got the car straight from the factory and started using it on the track. We have a long list of things we want to do for our next race at Mugello I’m happy to develop it further Excited about it because I know where we can get this car. The other part of course is our team. It expanded, we needed to work together in a GT3 environment, and we did. We are doing very well. We achieved what we came here to achieve. A podium would have been nice, but we always knew this was a new car, and there were a lot of unknowns at first. We finished the game and it was great. I am very happy. ”
Torsten Schubert, Schubert Motorsport Team Principal: “We knew the first race was going to be a challenge. We started testing in Dubai on Tuesday. It was important for us to use the car in racing conditions. It was better than any launch where you work alone on the track. We learned A lot. Unfortunately there was an accident when we were hit by a competitor. Otherwise a top 10 in the overall standings is possible and I have little hope for a better result. The BMW M4 GT3 is a very balanced car We didn’t have any issues with it other than the little things you always get with a new car. I’m especially happy with how our BMW M2 CS Racing did. That was my first time with my two sons in a trio of 24 Hours of play. We’re glad we finished the game with almost no issues.”
Nick Wittmer, #28 BMW M4 GT3, ST Racing: “This is my first time driving a GT3 and it’s very user-friendly for a team that wants to buy a GT3. I didn’t spend too much time looking at all the buttons. It’s very easy to learn and I really like it on the BMW M4 GT3 Many of the features were new to me so I had to learn them. Although I have no GT3 experience, driving a BMW M4 GT3 on the track was very fun and easy. Of course we had to develop the setup on the track and everything and learn more about the car. I spent a lot of time on the track and I learned a lot and improved a lot throughout the week. All in all, we just need to work a little bit on the fine-tuning, then we must Will be the front runner. We have a very strong car.”
Samantha Tan, #1 BMW M4 GT3, ST Racing: “It was incredible to be one of the first drivers to race this car officially in the world. It was quite overwhelming to switch from the GT4 to the GT3 but with the focus on us teams I feel that I adapted very quickly to the BMW M4 GT3. The biggest difference for me was all the technology, how much we could really fine-tune all the different settings for the drivers. Obviously there were still a lot of things that I needed to learn this weekend but overall it was great. I think that I ran a very great pace throughout the night. The car has a lot of potential. We just need to put in more work and more development on our side and I will think we will have a great car for the next race at Mugello.”
Nick Yelloly, #30 BMW M4 GT3, Schubert Motorsport: “We take some positives with us moving to Daytona. We know that the car can work very well; all the development and testing that we did over the past 18 months paid off well so I am very happy about that. Now it is just about fine-tuning everything with the new car and I am sure that it will be a multiple race and championship winner in the years to come. Even if the final result was a bit frustrating considering the pace that we could show, especially at the end, I am pretty happy. The team did a fantastic job. Only one small roll-out and then straight away finishing a 24-hour race is a great achievement.